Ah, the journey of life, with all its twists and turns, its ups and downs. As we travel along the path God has prepared for us, I figure I might as well share some of our adventures on the way. Maybe then, I can make a little better sense of things!

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

For our family vacation this summer, I borrowed some DVDs from a friend. She let us take several Sid the Science Kid DVDs, and I was excited for the girls to watch something besides Frozen :) One of the DVDs was titled "Change Happens," and at first the only thing I could think of was the changes that happen in our bodies. But I figured - or at least HOPED - that was NOT something the show would discuss for such young viewers. Yes, I realize that at some point I am going to have to talk to my girls about puberty and all that involves. I am honestly hardcore praying Jesus comes back before they get to that point, but in case He delays, I am ready for that conversation - just not when they're 20 months, 3.5 years, and 5.5 years! :)

Turns out Sid was more concerned about changes in the seasons, decay and decomposition, solids to liquids, and other such topics. Whew!

I guess God had a good chuckle on my behalf for that one, BUT the theme of CHANGE has been a steady one in our family's life recently.

We did something new this summer when my husband and I traveled to Africa for a short-term missions trip. Our time in Ehtiopia CHANGED us. As soon as baby #4 is born this fall, we will be filling out paperwork and starting the adoption process (we would have started yesterday, but the agency has a policy about being pregnant when starting the process). We are already in love with our brown-skinned kiddos even though we have NO idea who they are yet (we would love to bring TWO home). We have even encouraged our girls to pray for their brothers/sisters to be safe and strong and healthy until they get to join us here in our family.

Immediatlely upon our return from Africa, we loaded up our Yukon XL to the brim (literally) and hooked up our pop-up camper. We headed out for Myrtle Beach for a family vacation. Along the way, we camped out in some breathtakingly beautiful National Forests and Parks. The drive was LONG and the girls weren't all that excited about the HOURS in the car, but we made it. Once we arrived at the beach, the girls would have stayed there for days. Seriously, we didn't need to do anything else to entertain them or make this the vacation of their dreams. They were content splashing in the water, "surfing" the waves, and building sand castles on the beach. We spent the majority of our time right there, doing "nothing." That experience CHANGED us too. We realized how TIME together is the best thing of all and that we don't need fancy, expensive, luxurious things to make us happy. Our hearts were full listening to the ocean and watching our girls soak up the sun.

From the beach we headed to Ponca Bible Camp in the Ozarks of Arkansas. Our hearts have a special place for this amazing camp. I grew up going there (since 5th grade). Lawrence never experienced Ponca as a camper, but was invited to a young adult retreat and then started counseling the next summer. We met at Ponca in 2004. In 2007, he asked me to marry him on a hike we take during camp. We seriously considered having our wedding there, but decided to stay closer to home so people would actually come and enjoy the day with us (rather than making them drive 4-8 hours one way). Needless to say, Ponca is special. We spent 2 weeks there, pouring into kiddos ranging from 4th grade to 7th grade. We saw God work in MIGHTY ways. Our prayer had been for each boy and girl to truly understand who they are, who GOD created them to be - masterpieces He designed with a plan and purpose, powerful soldiers engaged in battle against a fierce enemy, overcomers who are ALREADY victorious and triumphant. Our goal was for them to leave camp at the end of the week with a personal CREED, or at least the starts of one in their hearts and minds. God blew us away, especially the first week as campers stood up on Friday night after chapel and shared their creeds with the entire camp. To hear these 6th and 7th graders have such confidence in who they are and how they are going to live out their days passionately and courageously for Jesus gave me goosebumps. I had chills up and down my back. Sharing the amazing truth of God's Word with these boys and girls, then seeing them take to heart what we were saying, CHANGED us. We went to teach and ended up learning more ourselves.

Now that we are back home (after being gone for 5 weeks), God continues to weave these concept of CHANGE into our lives. Our church is going through some changes. Houses are for sale in our neighborhood and others that were on the market when we left are already sold. We will have quite a few new neighbors in the coming months. Our oldest will be starting kindergarten this fall. Lawrence will be entering his TENTH year of teaching 3rd grade, and you would think it would be "old hat" for him as he prepares for another round of students to come through his classroom door in a few weeks. BUT, God is doing some CHANGES there too...

Yesterday, Lawrence came home from a school workshop super excited. Before sharing what he had learned at the in-service session, he warned me that I might be shocked at the words that were going to come out of his mouth. He even joked that I might ask if he was his husband :) He then proceeded to tell me how he was going to get rid of the desks in his classroom and focus on centers and interactive groups and independent work. This is coming from a man who has NEVER put his students' desks in pods, but ALWAYS lines them up in ROWS. He is about routine and organization and structure. It's what he knows. It's what is comfortable for him. BUT, as he sees how kids learn and grow and flourish and develop, he is understanding that he might need to adjust and CHANGE the way he does things. So he is ready to dive in, head first. After 9 years of teaching the same grade, you can get "bored." You get "stuck" doing the same lessons or same group activities or same projects. He doesn't want that to happen. This is the most excited I have seen him in a LONG time. And his enthusiasm sparks a fire inside of me.

As my husband is open to CHANGE, I too can dare to dream bigger and "think outside the box" and imagine new possibilities for our family. Going from desks in rows to bean bags and circle tables and gathering spots may not seem like that big of a deal, but I assure you it IS. And as I consider his WILLINGNESS to change, I realize how stuck so many of us get in our ways. We feel safe with normal. We like to stick with what we know. Yet, in so doing, how much are we missing out on? What if something GOOD - something BETTER - waits for us out in the UNknown?! What if we were to take that step and do something new and different? What if we learned and grew and experienced something WAY beyond our wildest dreams or imagination?! What if...

In closing, I encourage you to take a look at your own life.
Are there any areas where you might NEED to CHANGE?
Do you have any goals or dreams or hopes or desires that might require you to step out of your comfort zone? Are you going to play it safe (and miss out) or take that "risk" and encounter something beautiful, inspiring, life-CHANGING?

Just as I wrongly feared the changes the Sid DVD might be addressing, we all too often see or hear the word CHANGE and turn to run in the opposite direction. We don't even give it a chance.

Let's STOP.
Instead, let's take the time to listen, to hear, to watch, to understand.
Let's be open to what might be the BEST thing that ever happened to us.

Monday, July 27, 2015

How was your summer?
Such a simple question.
And asked quite often these days as friends run into each other in the School Supply aisle and are starting to think about everything else associated with the fall season that is coming sooner than we think. (At least I hope the cooler, crisper weather is right around the corner as I sit inside to avoide the scorching heat and temperatures soaring into the 100's where I live.)

I guess when you go to Africa, something happens in your heart - and mind. You leave and come back a different person. You travel all those miles, and somewhere along the way, you become someone else. Or a newer version of yourself.

I don't really know how to explain it. I am going to try my darndest, but until you have gone on a trip like this yourself, you truly don't understand. You can try. But you can't. You just can't.

Pictures only tell you a TINY bit of the story. They give you a SMALL glimpse into the reality of what took place. They can NOT capture the emotions, the feelings, the heartache, the joy, and everything else unseen in those snapshots. They do NOT do the breath-taking scenery justice, nor do they implode your senses with the smells and sounds of the poverty everywhere you look.

View out the window of our room at the guest house

I took over 500 pictures while we were in Ethiopia. I could show you ALL of them. (You can actually see them on my Facebook page, if you want.) I could tell you what was going on in each and every one. I could explain what we were doing with the kids, how they were laughing and singing at the top of their lungs or crowding around us and not giving us room to breathe. I could share how they would thank us profusely for a simple shirt or proudly show us their ITTY BITTY TEENY TINY room they shared with 3-7 other kids.

Even after sitting with me for HOURS looking at pictures and listening to me retell every aspect of our trip, you would NOT understand completely all that took place - physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually.

Until you have witnessed a couple meeting their daughter for the first time...

Until you have stepped inside a room of 30+ 2-3 year olds sitting quietly in a circle, each eating peanut butter and "oatmeal" from a cup...

Until you have had a bone-thin mother holding her small child run to your car window and beg you for money and/or food while you sit in bumper to bumper traffic...

Until you have sat on a metal bunkbed with a child delighted to call the 8x8 concrete room his/her home and you realize that ALL their belongings fit in the small suitcase at the end of the bed...

Until you hold a baby boy in your arms and hear how he was put in a trash bag by his 14-year old mother who had been raped and wanted absolutely nothing to do with her child...

Until you drive past a landfill, closing the windows and putting your scarf over your nose and mouth to block out the stentch, and watch people searching for food to eat and items to sell...

Until you sit and let a girl paint your nails BRIGHT yellow and see the pride in her eyes when she finishes your maincure...

Until you play soccer on a 10x12 concrete courtyard with drying laundry hanging on one side and a brick wall topped with barbed wire on the other...

Until you have walked into a classroom with over 30 benches (resembling those from a one-room school house) expected to seat 60+ students and absolutely NOTHING on the bare white walls...

Until you have seen the smile of a girl holding a new pair of shoes that sparkle and shine...

Until you have waited for a herd of goats to cross the road so you can be on your way in your CAR...

Until you witness a woman carrying water in jugs up a mountain...

Until you have seen a kitchen with HARDLY any ventilation or lighting and NO modern appliances and realize the cooks prepare food for over 60 kids every day...

Until you have seen the beautiful pottery, scarves, purses, and other hand-crafted items made by women rescued from prostitution and human trafficking...

Until you have 10+ kiddos hanging on you and wanting to play with you, despite not being able to speak the same language...

Until you jumprope with boys and girls who don't have any other outdoor toys, except maybe a tattered ball...

Until you listen to those same children clap and sing and dance their hearts out, full of joy and peace and strength...

Only THEN would you be able to begin to understand what I saw and did and felt on our trip to Ethiopia.

Only THEN would you start to realize why I might start crying in the grocery store or the School Supply aisle at Wal-Mart.

Only THEN would you possibly fathom why I don't want a dream house (I already live in one if you think about) or luxury car or expensive jewelry or namebrand purse.

Only THEN would you grasp how BLESSED we are.
Only THEN would you sense my urgency in wanting to fill out paperwork to bring an orphaned, abandoned child home to be part of our family forever - to love them and pour into them and help them see how much potential they have, how powerful they are, how gifted they are, how THEY can dream big and change the world.